Transfer years of service

[oregon]

I have around 12 years of teaching experience in Oregon. What districts transfer the highest amount of service years in with you when you get hired? Anyone know? Or at least who takes a lot.

[Bushteachers]

I believe 8 is the most you can bring in, and as to which ines allow 8, that information can be found in the districts NA. I know Iditarod Area allows 8, and there are quite a few more. Usually the farther out or the "rougher" it is, the more liberal the district is with that years of service. Of course that's just my assessment with the years of service.

[jstomac]

None, unless you've worked in Alaska or the BIA. You will only be paid based on your education.

[Johncn]

Oregon,

In Alaska salaries are determined by district contracts with the negotiating unit (union) for the teachers in that district. There is not a statewide salary schedule, and efforts to create one have failed due in large part to the cost differentials in rural Alaska. In other words, rural districts have higher pay scales than those on the road to make up for the higher cost of living. Any set schedule statewide would effectively reduce rural salaries in favor of those on the road system, and make staffing rural schools harder. There is an incentive in the form of higher pay to work in rural Alaska in order to compensate for higher costs of living.

Like most states, Alaska districts use a Step-and-Lane approach, which pay teachers more for experience and education. What varies in states is mostly how experience is counted - i.e. year for year or in "bands" of experience - and in how many steps and lanes there are in that contract. These models started out in the early 1900's, and became the model used by 97% of school districts by 1950. You can read about the history of this compensation method here in an excellent University of Alaska report:

CAEPR Teacher Salary and Tenure Report
http://www.iser.uaa.alaska.edu/CAEPR/home/projects/hb278/2015_11_16-TeacherSalaryAndTenureReport_Appendixes.pdf



Now, what is unfortunate in Alaska is that there is an arbitrary cap placed on the years of service that can be transferred from out of state. This is a remnant of statutes developed when there far more applicants for teaching jobs in Alaska than there were jobs. The statue in question's impact on teachers is the last vestige remaining. The others have been repealed:

Alaska Statute 14.20.180
http://www.touchngo.com/lglcntr/akstats/Statutes/Title14/Chapter20/Section220.htm



And years of experience is very specifically defined to ONLY include experience that requires teacher certification (public or private school):



To further complicate matters for incoming teachers, a few districts on the road system refuse to grant experience either inside Alaska, or from the Lower 48. All teachers new to those districts start at the first "step" that their education level places them on. Teachers with experience within the 6 / 8 year cap range should certainly ask good questions if interviewing for a road system job. Don't assume those years will be credited. Ask to see the negotiated agreement, or use your Googling skills to find the current one online.

As demand for teachers has increased in recent years, it continues to surprise me that Alaska Legislature allows the artificial cap on experience in AS14.20.180 to remain on the books, and allows districts to avoid compensating for experience by not honoring credit earned elsewhere. Maybe that will change soon. Maybe not.

Hope this helps,

John

[oregon]

You are a wealth of information as always. Thanks for the reply...Wow...no credit in some places...good to know. I will definitely ask questions before I sign on the dotted line. I know Washington transfers all years if you stay in the state but Oregon does not....depends on the district, so I'm familiar with that model. Thank you again.

[oregon]

Also, the term "artificial" confuses me a bit. Does this mean that districts can negotiate that cap if they want? Sorry, I may have missed that info if it was in the documents you sent.

Moderator's Note: No, the artificial cap simply refers to the statutory limit on years of experience credit, versus actual experience.

[oregon]

Bushteacher, would you mind sharing your feelings on teaching in the bush? I want to and don't want to at the same time. I'm not sure I can deal with those little planes but I can do the water. I'm drawn to it, and keep looking at it.... but a little freaked out by some on the posts I've read so far.

[jamieburgess]

Hi Oregon -

I spent the previous school year as an administrator in a small bush village - I did a good deal of flying between the villages in the district on those little planes. You would be surprised how fun it can be on those small planes - despite some of the stories you read in the media about plane crashes. The majority of the crashes are individuals flying their own personal planes - they are likely to have much less actual flight experience than the pilots on the small bush airlines (Yute, Ravn, Pen Air, Bering Air, etc.). The biggest challenge you will find with the small planes is that weather impacts them to a much greater extent that it does larger planes, and they sometimes don't stick to the schedule that's published on the website. But overall it's a much more pleasant experience than you might imagine. I currently work in a hub town, and while I enjoy doing most of my travel on the big jets, I sometimes miss that up close and personal opportunity to see the beauty of the Alaska tundra from the small planes.

[Bushteachers]

Bushteacher, would you mind sharing your feelings on teaching in the bush? I want to and don't want to at the same time. I'm not sure I can deal with those little planes but I can do the water. I'm drawn to it, and keep looking at it.... but a little freaked out by some on the posts I've read so far.

If you aren't sure, that's what you want, I don't recommend doing it. You could get to the bush and love it, but may not. The social scene will be totally different than what you are used to, and your lifestyle may not be acceptable. Every village is similar, yet totally different.

I'm in a hub now, and though it is technically bush, it isn't. We have paved roads. A local Police department. Three grocery stores. A couple of places to eat. Much more accepting of everyone in the hub than in the village. I say that, with the knowledge that I miss the village. If we hadn't of been a budget cut, we'd still be there.

The planes don't bother me, but I've spent my fair share of time dangling by a rope underneath a helicopter. But I'm a little different. A hub you don't really go in a small plane. I miss 207 travel.

What is drawing you to the bush? That is where we need to start at. Are you wanting to make a difference? Often times I meet teachers that romanticized the idea of teaching in the bush. Then reality hit them and they were miserable.

This may seem harsh, but you will never truly be accepted in a village. Tolerated? Sure. Welcomed? Sure. Accepted? Most likely not. Why? You will most likely only spend the school year there. That's a generalization, and it isn't 100% true. As long as you can accept that, and be ok with that, you will be fine.

A good book to read is called Tundra Diaries. It paints a very vivid picture of a rough situation. Very realistic and there is a lesson to learn from the book. Stay positive and realize your place and purpose.
One day we will return to the bush. I eagerly await.

[oregon]

bushteacher,

Thank you for your candid reply. This is a HUGE move and I need all the honest info I can get. I haven't really asked a lot of questions about the kids because that is not what I'm concerned about. We have the same problem in the lower states with teachers going into really rough inner city schools thinking they are going to have a Hallmark movie experience and don't make it past December. I'm not looking for or expecting that. I do expect all my kids to work to their highest potential...period. I understand that some kids are in very difficult situations. One of my kids was taken out in handcuffs yesterday, and I will be here for him when he returns. I work to make meaningful connections and strive to be culturally competent. IF I come to Alaska it will be as an administrator though. I've decided after looking at the transfer year rates and the requirements for transferring my teaching credentials it's not worth it to come as a teacher. My admin comes right over, no muss, no fuss.
I watched a few videos of some really remote areas up north and I KNOW I can't do that.What is a Hub? That sounds more like it for me.
I am drawn to Alaska. I'm drawn to the wild remoteness of it all. I have no desire to live in Anchorage, I'm looking for something rural and different. I do want to be accepted for my lifestyle...not tolerated, I don't need to be celebrated, I don't fly a rainbow flag all over my house, but I won't hide or be ashamed either.... just accepted. As far as kids go...my expectations are the same for all of them. I've worked with many diverse cultures but have not live within those cultures and that is where my learning curve will be.

[jamieburgess]

Oregon -

A hub is a town where the larger planes are able to fly into. You can get an idea of the hub towns by going to the Alaska Airlines website and looking where they fly within the state. Often one of the regional airlines will fly into the hubs as well - they just use smaller planes than Alaska (such as prop planes). The hubs tend to be a little larger and have more amenities available - each one has its own character based on its location and the local culture.

Good luck on your job hunt - Alaska needs good strong administrators as well as teachers.

[Bushteachers]

bushteacher,

Thank you for your candid reply. This is a HUGE move and I need all the honest info I can get. I haven't really asked a lot of questions about the kids because that is not what I'm concerned about. We have the same problem in the lower states with teachers going into really rough inner city schools thinking they are going to have a Hallmark movie experience and don't make it past December. I'm not looking for or expecting that. I do expect all my kids to work to their highest potential...period. I understand that some kids are in very difficult situations. One of my kids was taken out in handcuffs yesterday, and I will be here for him when he returns. I work to make meaningful connections and strive to be culturally competent. IF I come to Alaska it will be as an administrator though. I've decided after looking at the transfer year rates and the requirements for transferring my teaching credentials it's not worth it to come as a teacher. My admin comes right over, no muss, no fuss.
I watched a few videos of some really remote areas up north and I KNOW I can't do that.What is a Hub? That sounds more like it for me.
I am drawn to Alaska. I'm drawn to the wild remoteness of it all. I have no desire to live in Anchorage, I'm looking for something rural and different. I do want to be accepted for my lifestyle...not tolerated, I don't need to be celebrated, I don't fly a rainbow flag all over my house, but I won't hide or be ashamed either.... just accepted. As far as kids go...my expectations are the same for all of them. I've worked with many diverse cultures but have not live within those cultures and that is where my learning curve will be.

Just a heads up...by lifestyle, I mean lower 48 lifestyle. As far as sexual orientation, I know quite a few married couples and they are accepted like other married couples.

My admin experience is lacking. However I do know three people that came to Alaska with admin certs and they had. A hard time finding admin jobs their first year up. My theory is that turnover is high within our field. Admin turnover is the same.

First admin I had taught me a valuable lesson. He told us, that we can't treat our kids like lower 48 kids. I didn't understand hat comment until later in the school year.

I've taught in some rough schools down south and though I thought that experience would prepare me, it didn't. What really prepared me, was my time living in Hawaii.

Good luck with your search, and I hope you find what you are looking for. It's hard, yet rewarding.